The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay
The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay is the pilot episode of the series The Venture Bros. It was first aired as a one-off on February 16, 2003. The actual series itself would not begin airing until a year and a half later, in August of 2004. Storyline Pill-popping, misanthropic scientist Dr. Thaddeus Venture travels to New York to demonstrate his latest invention at a scientific symposium at the United Nations. He is accompanied by his homicidal bodyguard Brock Samson and his two sons Hank and Dean, a pair of clueless pubescents who act and talk as if they belong in an episode of Leave It to Beaver. Two shadowy characters are following Dr. Venture's every move: The Monarch, a super villain whose persona is built around misconceptions about the lethality of monarch butterflies, and Otaku Senzuri, a ninja intent on acquiring the new gadget. While Venture is sleeping, Senzuri manages to steal an equipment case but finds that it only contains Hank and Dean, who were pretending it was a submarine. The ninja knocks them unconscious and leaves them in an alley outside the hotel, where two thugs steal their communicator watches. When the boys wake up the next morning, they decide to have a "New York adventure" and set out on their own to explore the city. The Monarch arrives in a taxi and follows them, dealing with any interference through his "Sting of the Monarch" darts. At roughly the same time, Brock sets out to find the boys but heads in a different direction. He locates the two hoods and beats them mercilessly before reclaiming the watches. Arriving in Times Square, Hank and Dean spot a middle-aged prostitute who propositions them. Misinterpreting her offer, they accompany her back to a seedy apartment. After failing to explain her services to the boys, she touches Hank's crotch; the two teens respond by fleeing in terror. The Monarch, who had staked out the apartment, begins to follow them again but runs into Brock. The bodyguard questions the villain briefly before savagely beating him. Back at the U.N., Dr. Venture is introduced to explain his new invention, the "Ooh Ray". He cheerfully melts a model city in demonstration and is completely mystified by the audience's negative reaction. The U.N. representative hosting the conference scolds Venture, who fails to see any violent applications for his gadget, and apologizes to the crowd. Hank and Dean's blind panic has somehow led them back to the U.N. building, where they surprise their father. In a foul mood, Venture resigns himself to packing up the Ooh Ray for the trip home but discovers Senzuri masturbating next to the machine. A general arrives and orders the ninja's arrest; apparently, Senzuri is a technophile who can only achieve arousal in the presence of advanced technology. The general then cheers Venture up greatly by buying several dozen Ooh Rays for the Army. Meanwhile, Brock is spending hundreds of dollars enjoying the hooker's services while The Monarch recuperates in the hospital from his injuries. Quotes The Monarch: Dr. Venture's legendary scientific curiosity will naturally get the better of him. And when he immediately drills open the cosmic mystery, he'll get a face full of men! My men!! Loyal footsoldiers of my war on everything and deadly! Just like the monarch butterfly of my namesake. Henchman: Wha? Butterflies aren't deadly. The Monarch: You see, just like the flawless monarch butterfly from which I take my name, the Monarch has many ways to sting. Dying Cabbie: Monarchs . . . . don't sting Trivia * Turtle Bay, referred to in the episode's title, is the area of New York in which the United Nations is located. * Otaku Senzuri's name and fetish for technology are a reference to the phenomenon of otaku in Japan, an entire subculture of solitary information collectors (comparable to extreme versions of the American stereotype of the nerd), whose realm of interaction with others is often limited to the internet. Like Senzuri, the majority of otakus are technophiles, although Senzuri's taking his interest to a sexual degree is probably rare. * The Monarch, Brock, and Dr. Girlfriend are drawn differently than in subsequent episodes. Brock is relatively normal-sized here, whereas in the rest of the series he towers over everyone else. Dr. Girlfriend's face is severely angular, with tiny features. The Monarch has an entirely different costume and is depicted as evil but incompetent, whereas the rest of the series portrays him much more lightheartedly, only being a super villain because he has nothing else to do. * The majority of the show's characters are drawn in clothing styles common in previous decades to the show's apparent modern-day setting: Brock's four-pocket leisure shirts and zip boots, Dr. Venture's turtleneck and sportcoat combinations are highly reminiscent of 1970s fashion trends, as are the Venture boys' clothing, although unlike Dr. Venture and Brock, they are consistently drawn in the same clothes. Likewise, Pete White wears 1980s New Wave clothing, and Dr. Impossible is drawn in fashions popular among middle-aged men in the 1950s. This is probably done in reference to the shows such as Jonny Quest that Venture Bros. routinely parodies. * Several of the show's recurring and guest characters are introduced in menial roles at various points throughout the episode: although unnamed, Billy Quizboy and Pete White are fellow scientists at the convention, as is Dr. Impossible, the villain of "Ice Station -- Impossible!." * This episode has a motif similar to The Ren and Stimpy Show of having dramatic trumpet and saxophone jazz music play while absurd events are taking place onscreen (such as during Hank and Dean's encounter with the hooker). This would be abandoned in every other episode of the series. Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay, The